Ask an adult to reminisce about their first experience seeing live musical theater and you're bound to get a host of answers.
Perhaps they saw something on Broadway, maybe "Annie." Perhaps they went to watch their older brother perform at the local high school auditorium, in "Oklahoma." Or maybe they caught a stage show on TV, a telecast direct from New York or London or the Kennedy Center.
But many kids these days might say "Aladdin" when asked the same question. The based-on-the-film musical ran in the 1,873-seat Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure Park for thirteen years, giving loads of youngsters that splashy, on-the-stage look at a high-end, tech-cool musical.
No leg-pulling on the "loads" part of that statement — some 13,000,000 guests are estimated to have seen the show at the Anaheim theme park's venue.
So when the lights lowered on "Aladdin" in 2015, many wondered what might be next for the capacious space, a state-of-the-art theater that sits next to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Here's what's next for the Hyperion, in a single, says-it-all word: "Frozen."
Disneyland Resort made the announcement on Friday, March 4. "Frozen — Live at the Hyperion" will debut on May 27, 2016, bringing with it "Theatrical Surprises, Stunning Special Effects, and Outstanding Talent." That talent, thus far, includes several Broadway-honed creative titans working behind the scenes.
It's a huge deal for fans of the 2013 mega-movie hit, including those who know every word to "Let It Go," to see the story presented with actors, right there, steps away, on stage. The songs, the costumes, the emotive sisterly relationship, and, yes, Olaf will all be front-and-center at the Hyperion, just in time for summer. (Olaf's favorite season, natch.)
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Will "Frozen" top the "Aladdin" record of 14,000 performances? Stay tuned. Just bet your last snowflake — or, if you're Sven the reindeer, your last carrot — that many Anna and Elsa fans will be out in singing, celebratory force once their favorite characters take the stage in a live musical theater extravaganza.
